Saturday, March 24, 2012

Digital Identity

In a the modern world we live in we are more connected and closer than ever. This is due to the use of social networking, such as Facebook and Twitter. They more or less allow us to see what is going on with anyone and anything in the world. If i were to look up news in Istanbul that would not be much of an effort, whereas 20 years ago it wouldn't be worth the curiosity. Governments now must deal with this over exposure and as a result be more secretive. This can mean lying to the public by keeping a face up that is perceived as ethical. Facebook allows anyone to form an identity by editing their pages, showing their likes and interests, age, sexuality ect. Through this medium people can "know" people from just a click of the mouse. In theory this should make us closer but that isn't exactly true.The interests someone might show on their page are just the interests they have that they wish to publicise, it may say that they like sport, but in reality the person might not be able to hold a 5 minute conversation about the topic, but they can if someone was to start talking about Star Wars. The chat feature on face book can be used to get to know people and the wall or timeline to show messages to a person for all. With all these easy and quick features it can be an effort for some to actually meet up in person. with the continuos development of easy to use networking the future will be a very different place. The side effects of the Internet and excessive use predicts a future of over stimulation from things the Internet can provide. When in truth that future is here already.here is an article explaining that those who have easy access to the online community at a young age face dangershttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119665/Middle-class-children-risk-internet-use.htmlhealth issues that come with constant screen use and Internet exposure include: obesity, eye damage, skin irritations, mental problems and bad posture .Not only this but addiction is one of its biggest problems. Recent studies show the peoples need for dopamine is much higher and can only be obtained by hyper stimulation from things like online gaming and hardcore pornography. This is due to frequent use. studies show children (mainly boys) as Early as 12 seeing hardcore porn regularly. This can lead to impotence in later life as the need for more perverted material, can make there pleasure response numb, and disable them from having a functioning intimate relationships. Online gaming has got to the point were people have died due to excessive use. As games get more stimulating they become harder to not play, due to the intense levels of dopamine the brain delivers to the body from playing them. With the masses of money involved with online businesses the future is only going to lead to more exposure to dangerous materials. This creates a Distopian society that is not natural for humans, as we cannot evolve to this change quick enough, effectively making us cavemen living in a world we cannot function in, as our brains cannot support it.